Thursday, 28 July 2016

I recently
came across a post on beBee.com where the writer spoke of growing
up in a world where he was not considered normal. As someone who has never
wanted to be just like everyone else, I can honestly say that I understood what
it is like to be different, but I have never felt like my idiosyncrasies made
me abnormal.

My son, who
lives with a mild form of autism put together a short documentary where he
questions the value and definition of normal. He feels perfectly normal, and
why shouldn’t he, really? Normal is really a term that is used by ableists to describe
anything that doesn’t fit their perception of what is right and good. It takes
all kinds of people to make the world go around, so why would anyone not be
considered right or good at their core?

It is my personal
belief that each of us is on this earth to teach someone something. Whether or
not you can speak, or even move has no bearing on your ability to do that. The
fact is, that every interaction we have, whether we are aware of it or not, is
an opportunity to teach someone something. I would venture to say that most of
us do it all the time and don’t even know it. It is our individual differences
that provide these teachable moments and have the power to bring us together
with more understanding. I like to think that it is our differences rather than
our sameness that creates the strongest social glue.

The collective
consciousness of the world has always been very negative because people tend to
see differences as a threat. Clearly, the world has much to learn about the
value of being different. Those who are willing to bear the pain of being different
are blessed with having the opportunity to innovate, educate and change the
world. They are the leaders, the visionaries, the philosophers and the greatest
influencers.

It’s time to
embrace what makes you different and love that quality in yourself. Normal is
only a word and when we say someone is not normal we shouldn’t think of it as a
bad thing. We tend to think of abnormalities as being reflective of an
ineptitude, but it doesn’t have to mean that at all. Our personal abnormalities
whether they be physical or mental force us to navigate the world in
unconventional ways and in doing so we learn and teach more. In essence, we
fulfill our purpose.

Monday, 11 July 2016

Last week there was a lot of controversy around the Canadian National Exhibition (The CNE). On Tuesday, the CNE decided to cancel it's policy of allowing free admission to people with disabilities. There was such a big outcry that the CNE reversed this decision. I'm not really a fan of the CNE, but I do have some thoughts about this issue.The other night, I was listening to a discussion about this on the radio. The host thought the CNE should be free for people with disabilities, saying that they can't go on the rides, one of a number of luxuries that they can't enjoy in life. I felt patronized by this comment. It's incorrect. Some people with disabilities can go on rides. Besides, many people who go to the CNE don't go for the rides - they go for other things like the food or shopping.I have mixed feelings about the CNE giving free admission to people with disabilities. I think that it would be ideal for people with disabilities to pay full admission to the CNE and all other attractions. I think it would go a long way towards equality. Unfortunately, many people with disabilities don't have much disposable income. Their sole income is from ODSP and they struggle to afford the basics.So while we talk about whether people with disabilities should get free admission to attractions, maybe we should really be talking about how to raise the average living wage for people with disabilities so they will have enough disposable income to enjoy going to places like the CNE.